Greatest synth sound of all time revealed

27th Nov 2008 | 11:14

Check out Future Music's top 40 here

The bassline from D. Ramirez's remix of Bodyrox's Yeah Yeah has been judged the greatest synth sound of all time by Future Music. It saw off the challenge of the legendary sequenced bassline from Donna Summer's I Feel Love to secure its place at number one in the magazine's top 40 list.

"After months of sweat, tears and quite a bit of shouting, we're proud to announce Future Music's Top 40 Synth Sounds Of All Time – our definitive list of our favourite synth sounds (and how to get them)," says FM Editor Daniel Griffiths.

"We debated long and hard, pulling in the expert opinions of all our writers and contributors and asking readers to chip in at futuremusic.co.uk. After months of compiling and chin-rubbing, we think we've cracked it."

Controversial

The choice of Yeah Yeah's bassline as the top synth tone is sure to spark some debate – the song was only released in 2006, so doesn't have the benefit of age to lend it credibility. However, Griffiths believes that it meets the criteria of what a great synth sound should be.

"It's a combination of instant recognition and ingenuity," he says. "You've got to hear the sound and instantly know what record you're listening too. Great sounds grab the ear and make you love a track.

"Plus, you've got to want to slap the maker on the back for doing something totally new."

Other notable artists to make the top 10 include Eurythmics, Harold Faltermeyer, Daft Punk and The Prodigy. You can read the full feature in the December issue of Future Music, on sale 28 November – this also details how each sound was created and how you can recreate it.